Lord of the Truth

"The crystal… as a stabilizer of energy for World Cataclysm Realm?"

A wide, stunned smile slowly spread across Robin's face, trembling slightly at the edges. He pointed toward the box with disbelief as shimmering curiosity filled his gaze. "That thing actually functions as a stabilizer?! It's the most unstabilized thing I have ever witnessed!!"

"No, not what you're seeing right now." Althera furrowed her brows a little deeper, her tone growing more serious. "I'm referring to the crystals of newborn Space Beasts. Long ago, many of them were hunted down, and both their bodies and their crystals have been preserved for millions upon millions of years by the greatest powers. Every once in a long while, when one of those forces is desperate for funds, they discreetly auction off tiny portions of the beast through underground, secretive channels."

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice.

"...The most expensive component of a Space Beast's body is the crystal. Because, once, a madman experimented on his own son—using that crystal as a stabilizer. And incredibly… it succeeded. That boy eventually ascended and became a Law Guardian of monstrous strength. Ever since that tale spread, every major force hoards insane amounts of wealth, dreaming of snatching a newborn Space Beast crystal someday. To them, placing such a treasure into the hands of a gifted youth is essentially announcing the birth of a future Guardian."

She shrugged faintly, as if brushing away naïve expectations.

"Of course, that belief is misguided. Throughout history, only a few dozens ever managed to utilize newborn Space Beast crystals. Only about a quarter managed to become Guardians or Monarchs. The rest either perished during the stabilizer procedure itself, were eliminated later in their lives due to the overwhelming envy they provoked, or reached their limit at the absolute peak of the Nexus State, never able to advance further. Still, in every scenario, their strength was terrifying compared to others within the same realm."

"...." Robin could easily hear the biting envy buried inside Althera's voice. It was painfully clear she never obtained such a stabilizer, and that absence forever capped her potential. Stabilizers are immutable—once chosen, they cannot be replaced.

"...Only newborn beast crystals? What about mature ones, like the one I possess?"

"I told you—they've never been traded before, not even the—" snap

Althera suddenly snapped her fingers, pupils tightening as if a forgotten memory resurfaced. "There is one exception… one individual rumored to have used a Space Beast crystal above newborn grade as a stabilizer. Specifically, the crystal of a Young Space Beast. Surely you've heard his name whispered before."

"Who?" Robin asked eagerly, leaning closer.

"...The Savage Behemoth—Zavros."

Althera took a slow breath. "It's said that the Young Space Beast crystal he fused with is what enabled him to ascend into a titanic, solitary force, capable of standing firmly against the Destruction Behemoth Helmor, patriarch of the Destra family. Their confrontation is a nightmare all other behemoths fear. Just the rumor of their clash sends waves through empires, and every attempt is made to prevent it."

"...?!"

Robin's eyes shot open to their limit, trembling with dawning realization. He slowly turned toward the third box. A spectral eye manifested briefly over it, scanning the container, and with a casual wave—whoosh—the box floated smoothly into his palm.

click

It opened once more.

"What are you doing?"

Althera's voice sharpened, her body tensing again, fully prepared to flee at the slightest anomaly.

Robin's gaze settled on the Crystal of the Space Beast Progenitor, lingering intensely for several, silent seconds. Then, his vision drifted aside, searching… searching… until he found it—the folded paper tucked neatly in the corner.

Whoosh

The paper levitated gently before Robin and unfolded itself with a delicate rustle, revealing a single, chilling sentence inside:

Prepare yourself for what happens when the universe reaches it's one hundred million years of age. I do not wish to stand alone when that time comes.

"…"

Robin stared at the paper, eyes widening slowly and uncontrollably, as if trying to carve every letter deep into the core of his memory.

"That madman… he would never write something like this if he wanted me to use them as simple weapons or disposable bombs. He's…"

He turned back toward the box, breath steady yet heavy.

"He wants me to use them as stabilizers…"

"What?"

Althera dashed to his side in disbelief and snatched the paper, reading it repeatedly, her expression shifting through confusion, awe, and dread.

"One hundred million years? What does he mean by that?"

"…?!"

Robin snapped his head toward Althera with a sharp, startled motion—the disbelief across his face made it clear she truly had no idea. That, however, was somewhat understandable. Even the Cosmic Elder himself wasn't certain of what would come; he was simply overwhelmed with anxiety, desperately wanting to survive long enough to witness whether the unknown would actually manifest.

Yet when he spoke back then, the tremor in his voice and the caution in his eyes proved his concerns were far from groundless—the possibility of something occurring was staggeringly high, enough to shake even the greatest of beings.

Robin forcibly ignored Althera's question, burying the uncertainty within him, and redirected his entire focus back toward the box in front of him.

"What exactly does he expect me to do with them, seriously?" he muttered, exasperation leaking into his tone.

"Forget for a moment that the crystals alone are disasters waiting to happen—there's an additional horrifying problem: all of them are still holding their complete reserves of energy inside, fully active and volatile… Does he think I'm some sort of grand sorcerer or mythical artificer who can simply handle this with a snap?"

"There's no sorcery in existence greater than the miracle you performed when you healed the Cosmic Elder." Althera let out a long, weary sigh, finally lowering the letter after reading it again and again, failing to make sense of the deeper meaning.

"If someone like you—who commands and manipulates three Master Laws simultaneously—can't deal with them, then honestly, who in the entire cosmic expanse possibly could?"

Her gaze drifted toward the box as well, her expression thoughtful.

"…I suspect he was hoarding them to use as components for powerful sacrifices or as concealed trump cards he could rely on in dire moments. But once he realized how much more efficiently you could benefit from them, he must have decided to relinquish them willingly."

"…"

Robin remained silent, staring at the crystalline containers as if trying to peer through their mysteries. After a quiet moment, he nodded with heavy acceptance.

He gently took the message from Althera's hands, returned it neatly to the box, and shut the lid before standing upright—carefully tucking the three boxes beneath his arm.

"Alright, let's get out of here. If the Cosmic Elder returns and finds us standing around his vault, he'll assume we were attempting to steal his precious fish."

"No need to worry about that for now." Althera replied with a small, confident smirk.

"He won't be coming back anytime soon. It will take him several long years to track down Space Beasts and slay them again."

She nodded in agreement.

"But I do agree—we've lingered here far too long already."

"Hmm?"

Robin turned to make his way toward the exit. Immediately, his expression shifted into one of amusement before he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Ahahaha!"

There they were—Jabba and Shaddad clinging desperately to the metallic archway, their bodies practically welded to it, their expressions frozen in shock and residual terror, as though they were witnessing the end of the universe.

---------

Hummm…

One after another, the four travelers materialized back into Althera's dimly lit office, the shadows dancing softly across the room. Each of them wore distant, unfocused expressions, trapped within the labyrinth of their own thoughts. Each carried a burden only they could feel.

Clack

Althera sank into her seat, brows knitting slightly as she reflected on the avalanche of events—especially the haunting phrase about one hundred million years.

Suddenly, her eyes widened slightly as a thought resurfaced, and she shifted her gaze toward Robin.

"Hey… do you remember why you originally came to see me today?"

"Hmm?"

Robin blinked, snapping out of his deep trance-like contemplation, turning his head toward Althera for several seconds as he tried to recall. Then, with a spark of realization, he snapped his fingers sharply.

"Right, right! I came regarding the matter of paying off my debt… You let me publish the first and second volumes of the Atlas of Souls, and in return, I'll find a method to make you stronger, that was the deal."

"…"

Althera stared at him for a strained moment, then slowly shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I know this is incredibly difficult, but the man is bound by his own words and I cannot free you from that promise. I want that method—and there is no substitute, no alternative. I will accept nothing less."